Pope Francis prayed for God’s protection:
“We seek refuge under your protection O Holy Mother of God.” (Vatican News, 2020, March 26).
Southern Baptist pastor, Tony Perkins,
encouraged people to pray for the protection of our families (Perkins,
2020, March 12).
Amid crisis,
whether coronavirus, a natural disaster, a terrorist attack or another
calamity, we must not allow the mockery of the anti-faith crowd to drown out
our prayers for the hurting, for the protection of our families, our
communities, and our country. Let the mockers mock, but let the people pray to
the great Physician first and then get to work helping the sick.
Around the world, religious people pray to
God or gods for divine protection from evil. In western cultures, Catholics,
Protestants, and adherents of other branches of Christianity pray for God’s protection from
the Coronavirus in 2020. As Christians get sick and die by the thousands, do
such prayers for protection engender false hope? Perhaps not, but some act as if God will protect them no matter what they do.
Notice in the Perkins quote that he
encourages readers to “get to work helping the sick” after they have prayed.” Many
Christians are pragmatists. They will pray and act.
Not
all Christians are on the Same Theological Page
As the 2020 pandemic worsened, some clergy
continued to hold services despite advice from scientists and orders from the government to avoid public gatherings. Some cited religious texts revealing a
fundamentalist interpretation of what they ought to be doing instead of
following advice and orders designed to protect people from illness and death. (See Fundamentalist Religion).
American Pentecostal pastor Tony Spell, (Apostolic movement) preached to
hundreds of people in Louisiana in defiance of orders against large gatherings
(CNN). Rev. Spell describes
a classic Pentecostal service with “singing and dancing and slaying of the
spirit…” and “laying on of hands to heal the sick.” He told CNN that he’s not
opposed to doctors but said some had been healed of AIDS-HIV and cancer. Like
many Pentecostals, Spell believes we are living in the “end times.”
As the Covid-19 virus worsened and the US amassed the most infected people on the planet, Tony Spell held a church service on March 29, 2020 (see the LA Times). He did not just hold church. "He leaped into the pews, paraded, hugged and laid hands on worshipers' foreheads in prayer." He's in Louisiana where 3,500 people are infected and 151 people have died so far. Spell expressed concerns about his rights and the importance of church as essential to the lives of his people.
As the Covid-19 virus worsened and the US amassed the most infected people on the planet, Tony Spell held a church service on March 29, 2020 (see the LA Times). He did not just hold church. "He leaped into the pews, paraded, hugged and laid hands on worshipers' foreheads in prayer." He's in Louisiana where 3,500 people are infected and 151 people have died so far. Spell expressed concerns about his rights and the importance of church as essential to the lives of his people.
Hebrews 10:25- "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
2 Timothy 1:7 -- "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."Rev. Lowman and his group have instituted some precautions but they were continuing to meet.
These pastors are not alone.
Pastor Rose Banks in Colorado said the following to her congregation.
"Now I want you to understand this ... if I'm a Christian, if I'm living for God, if I'm doing the right thing, why would God send a virus to kill me?" Pastor Banks says. "For us to create this type of fear and paranoia in this country … is amazing to me." (KRDO)In Sacramento California, the head of public health reported one third of all COVID-19 cases were associated with houses of worship. One Pentecostal church had 71 testing positive. (See the Guardian 3 April 2020)
How
do Christians Cope with the Lack of Divine Protection?
President Trump connection Kenneth Copeland proclaimed Christians would save the
country and that the critics of the president interfered with “divine
protection” with their “displays of hate.” (Bredderman
& Sommer, 2020, March 23).
Most Christians take a pragmatic approach as they reframe the concept of divine protection. I look at that topic next.
Protection and Christian
Pragmatists
Those
that believe God will protect them from illness are pretty
much
tossed under the Sunday School bus as the sick and
dead attest to their deadly interpretation
of sacred texts.
G W Sutton suttong.com
2020
|
In some ways, the defiant ones are the only true
fundamentalists. That is, they assume God-inspired (or perhaps dictated) the
biblical texts and they take those words as personal promises or commandments from God.
A lot of people used to believe that way. Unfortunately, the dead and dying testify
against the soundness of these literal text-based beliefs. Christians and
non-Christians are dying by the thousands.
Everyday we have hundreds of testimonies that God does not protecting his people from illness or death. And the truth is, Christians have always got sick, maimed in accidents, lost vision, hearing, and limbs, and died in horrible ways.
Everyday we have hundreds of testimonies that God does not protecting his people from illness or death. And the truth is, Christians have always got sick, maimed in accidents, lost vision, hearing, and limbs, and died in horrible ways.
Most contemporary Christians might pray for protection,
but they aren’t going to leave it up to God alone to keep them safe.
Christian denominations or groups have canceled meetings around the world and switched to online services. I call these people Christian Pragmatists. They are reframing texts about God’s care and protection in ways that blend prayers for protection with “common sense” action. They may believe the Bible is "God's Word" but they don't deny common sense.
Take a look at how they incorporate "common sense" into their faith.
Christian denominations or groups have canceled meetings around the world and switched to online services. I call these people Christian Pragmatists. They are reframing texts about God’s care and protection in ways that blend prayers for protection with “common sense” action. They may believe the Bible is "God's Word" but they don't deny common sense.
Take a look at how they incorporate "common sense" into their faith.
During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, Greers Ferry First
Assembly (Assembly of God) were struck hard—34 people
tested positive for the coronavirus following a church event March 5-8 (Blair, 2020). In the Christian Post
story, this Pentecostal pastor, Mark Palenske, advised others:
“The intensity of this virus has
been underestimated by so many, and I continue to ask that each of you take it
very seriously. An act of wisdom and restraint on your part can be the blessing
that preserves the health of someone else.”
Notice the words of this pastor: “wisdom and restraint on
your part,” and “blessing that preserves the health.” Pastor Palenske reframes
the scientific advice as a “blessing” and connects the blessed advice to
protection using the phrase “preserves the health.” (Read more on reframing).
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Dr. Francis Collins was interviewed by conservative
Christian host, Jim Daly of Focus on the Family, March 19, 2020. The program summary
included a telling phrase, “common sense.” The following is what they wrote.
"Dr. Francis Collins, Director of
the National Institutes of Health, shares his expert knowledge about the coronavirus
pandemic, highlighting what families need to know and encouraging us all to
respond to this crisis with faith and common sense."
Early in the program, Dr. Collins placed the responsibility for
protection on Christians:
“It’s up to us to help protect them by not catching this disease ourselves and spreading it all around.”
As I searched the story for the word
“protect,” I noticed the host, Jim Daly, acknowledging the vital role of
Christians in protection and connecting this to other quotes going viral on
social media—notice these words in the quote below: “fear” and “God is in control.”
“…I think the bottom line
message is we need to be informed and take this virus seriously and do
everything we can to protect ourselves from getting sick. But, don’t give in to
fear. God is in control.”
In God and Common Sense,
We Trust
G W Sutton suttong.com
|
Essentially, Christians are divided by the
way they interpret the sacred texts when under threat. Although all are
praying, they act in different ways. Some confront the threat with boldness
trusting God for protection and ignoring the safety advice of experts.
Most Christians take advice from experts and do what they can to keep themselves and others safe as if they believe God can speak truth to them through experts. Of course, it isn’t always easy to figure out which expert to believe. When government leaders clash with physicians and scientists, scientists appear to be winning the title of “expert.”
Most Christians take advice from experts and do what they can to keep themselves and others safe as if they believe God can speak truth to them through experts. Of course, it isn’t always easy to figure out which expert to believe. When government leaders clash with physicians and scientists, scientists appear to be winning the title of “expert.”
Common Sense is a rather vague term and is
akin to the term “wisdom” as used by the Arkansas pastor. Unfortunately, common
sense and wisdom are not so common. We are in fact reliant on scientists to
explain what is happening and the best ways to protect ourselves and others.
Physicians and scientists have become like gods in whom we trust to impart wisdom
and that uncommon virtue, “common sense.” Fortunately, more and more people are listening to the experts.
As people follow scientific guidance such as washing hands, keeping a safe distance, wearing a face covering, and staying home, expert advice becomes "common sense."
As people follow scientific guidance such as washing hands, keeping a safe distance, wearing a face covering, and staying home, expert advice becomes "common sense."
There are a couple of other intriguing thoughts
that deserve another investigation. That is, Christians are reframing beliefs
about “healing,” “spirit of fear,” and “God is in control.”
Why Do Christians Bother to Pray?
If Christians and non-Christians alike follow expert advice, then why bother to pray--especially when prayer, or prayer alone, does not seem to work? We could ask Christians why they pray and we would likely get a range of answers.
1. Obviously, some Christians believe God is in control but as you see in my post about control , such a belief in God's control is unwarranted. God is not in control. All the prayer in the world has not changed that fact.
2. Some may believe that God will take some protective action as long as they do not put God on trial by doing something foolish--this is called "not putting God to the test." A key story related to this testing is Jesus' wilderness temptation (Matthew 4). Satan invited Jesus to jump off the temple quoting an old scripture:
"He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone. ”Jesus responded with this quote: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
3. Some may pray out of habit. After all, it is common for Christians to pray about all kinds of things in life. Jesus likened God to a father. For some, communicating with God is like a conversation with family. Read more about this personalized relationship in Luhrmann's study, When God Talks Back.
4. Christians pray because they are commanded to pray (some quote 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Christians are advised to make requests known to God and to say, "not my will but your's be done (Mark 14:36)." The idea that being sick and dying might be God's will is troublesome. How on earth would we know God's will. I suppose pragmatists might say whatever happens is God's will. So be it. I don't think theology is very helpful here. Esoteric thoughts rarely lift depression or sooth angry cries.
5. I suspect that many pray because it feels good to pray. We often feel better when we share our troubles with someone. I worked as a psychotherapist for years. So many just feel better sharing a particular burden. Christians and people of other religions do that too. In addition, if a few people are praying together, it can feel good to know we are not alone in our struggles. I think that's why people like to meet in gatherings and share personal details of illnesses and hospitalizations online. Although this is a psychological explanation about why people pray, it does not "explain away" any beliefs religious people have about healing prayer.
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God is NOT in Control
Embrace Fear God had or has not given us a Spirit of Fear
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